Definition:
The part of speech (or word class) that describes an action or occurrence or indicates a state of being. See also: All About Verbs.
Types and Forms of Verbs:- Aspect
- Auxiliary Verb
- A-Verbing
- Base Form
- Catenative Verb
- Causative Verb
- Copula
- Dynamic Verb & Stative Verb
- Finite Verb & Nonfinite Verb
- Intransitive Verb & Transitive Verb
- Irregular Verb & Regular Verb
- Lexical Verb
- Light Verb
- Linking Verb
- Modal
- Mood
- Performative Verb
- Phrasal Verb
- Prepositional Verb
- Principal Parts
- Reporting Verb
- Tense
- Voice
Etymology:
From the Latin, "word"Examples and Observations:
- "A better way to recognize the verb . . . is by its form, its -s and -ing ending; verbs also have an -ed and an -en form, although in the case of some irregular verbs these forms are not readily apparent. And every verb, without exception, can be marked by auxiliaries."
(M. Kolln, Understanding English Grammar, 1998) - "Do what you can, with what you have, where you are."
(Theodore Roosevelt) - "First you take a drink, then the drink takes a drink, then the drink takes you."
(F. Scott Fitzgerald) - "In the whole vast configuration of things, I'd say you were nothing but a scurvy little spider."
(Jimmy Stewart, It's a Wonderful Life) - "Automobiles, skirting a village green, are like flies that have gained the inner ear--they buzz, cease, pause, start, shift, stop, halt, brake, and the whole effect is a nervous polytone curiously disturbing."
(E.B. White, "Walden") - "Behind the phony tinsel of Hollywood lies the real tinsel."
(Oscar Levant) - "Some people say that I must be a terrible person, but it is not true. I have the heart of a young boy in a jar on my desk."
(Stephen King) - "Most metaphysical words in Hopi are verbs, not nouns as in European languages."
(Benjamin Whorf) - "Don't you dare use 'party' as a verb in my shop."
(Dylan Moran, Black Books)
Pronunciation: vurb
Also Known As: verb phrase
